LEGISLATION

California’s Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin deserts are among the most pristine and unique lands in the world. From painted mountains to hidden springs, from world-famous wildflowers to majestic herds of desert bighorn sheep, Americans have long been drawn to the stark beauty of California’s desert. Tourism and recreation are an essential part of the desert region’s economy. The desert is also a bridge to our Native American, pioneering and homesteading roots.

This unique place needs protection from encroaching urbanization, poorly sited renewable energy projects and other human intrusions. The public has an historic opportunity to work with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and the local congressional delegation to add additional protections to publicly owned land so that they provide wildlife corridors, protect important watersheds and waterways and preserve our desert heritage for generations to come.

New Wilderness Areas

The California Desert Protection and Recreation Act (S. 32) would designate about 328,000 acres of public land as wilderness, which means they can never be developed, mined, or otherwise disturbed. The bill also adds key wild areas to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks.

New Wild and Scenic Rivers

The proposed California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act protects forever 73 miles of waterways as Wild and Scenic. These rivers and streams give life for plants and wildlife in the fragile desert ecosystem. For eons, these waters have helped sustain humans, plants, and animals, and as climate change effects increase, the rivers and streams become essential.

The Campaign for the California Desert today praised the U.S. Senate for passing a measure that would safeguard nearly 500,000 acres of public land in southeastern California, and urged the House of Representatives to act quickly to pass the bill. The California...

Local business owners throughout the California desert region, including the Victorville, Barstow, and Needles, are expressing support, following President Obama designation of the Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments on February 12....

ABOUT US

We are a coalition of conservation groups, community leaders and businesses dedicated to protecting our desert landscapes, celebrated both for their contributions to America’s natural and cultural heritage and to the regional economy.

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